U.S. patent application number 13/291542 was filed with the patent office on 2012-05-10 for method and apparatus for displaying webpage.
This patent application is currently assigned to SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO. LTD.. Invention is credited to Ho Sung YOU.
Application Number | 20120117451 13/291542 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 46020813 |
Filed Date | 2012-05-10 |
United States Patent
Application |
20120117451 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
YOU; Ho Sung |
May 10, 2012 |
METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DISPLAYING WEBPAGE
Abstract
A method and apparatus for displaying webpages connected to
links of a first webpage are provided. The method includes
displaying a first webpage having at least one link corresponding
to another webpage, detecting a touch to select one of the at least
one link, and loading a second webpage corresponding to the
selected link in the background.
Inventors: |
YOU; Ho Sung; (Gunpo-si,
KR) |
Assignee: |
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO.
LTD.
Suwon-si
KR
|
Family ID: |
46020813 |
Appl. No.: |
13/291542 |
Filed: |
November 8, 2011 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
715/205 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 16/957 20190101;
G06F 3/04883 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
715/205 |
International
Class: |
G06F 17/00 20060101
G06F017/00 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Nov 8, 2010 |
KR |
10-2010-0110336 |
Claims
1. A webpage display method, the method comprising: displaying a
first webpage having at least one link corresponding to another
webpage; detecting a touch to select one of the at least one link;
and loading a second webpage corresponding to the selected link in
the background.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting comprises
presenting, when the touch is maintained over a predetermined time
period, a popup window prompting to select an option menu item.
3. The method of claim 2, wherein the option menu item comprises at
least one of a new window display item for displaying the second
webpage in a new window, a bookmark add item for adding the second
webpage to a bookmark list, and a background load item for loading
the second webpage in the background.
4. The method of claim 2, wherein the detecting comprises
displaying, when the touch is not maintained over the predetermined
time period, the second webpage in place of the current
webpage.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein the loading comprises one of:
forming the second webpage as a new window; and storing the second
webpage in a cache memory.
6. The method of claim 1, further comprising displaying, when the
first webpage is closed, the second webpage.
7. The method of claim 6, further comprising redisplaying, when a
go-back function or a cancel function is executed, the first
webpage in place of the second webpage.
8. The method of claim 1, further comprising: detecting another
touch to select another one of the at least one link; and loading a
third webpage corresponding to the selected other link in the
background.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising displaying, when the
first webpage and the second webpage are closed, the third
webpage.
10. A webpage display apparatus, the apparatus comprising: a radio
frequency unit for transmitting a request for a first webpage and
for receiving the first webpage; a display unit for displaying the
first webpage having at least one link corresponding to another
webpage; and a control unit for controlling, when a touch to select
one of the at least one link is detected, the display unit to load
a second webpage corresponding to the selected link in the
background.
11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit controls
displaying, when the touch is maintained over a predetermined time
period, a popup window prompting to select an option menu item.
12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the option menu item
comprises at least one of a new window display item for displaying
the second webpage in a new window, a bookmark add item for adding
the second webpage to a bookmark list, and a background load item
for loading the second webpage in the background.
13. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the control unit controls
displaying, when the touch is not maintained over the predetermined
time period, the second webpage in place of the first webpage.
14. The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising a cache memory
for storing the second webpage.
15. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display unit displays,
when the first webpage is closed, the second webpage.
16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the control unit controls
redisplaying, when a go-back function or a cancel function is
executed, the first webpage in place of the second webpage.
17. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit controls
loading, when a webpage is selected from a bookmark list, the
selected webpage in the background.
18. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the control unit controls,
when a touch to select another one of the at least one link, the
display unit to load a third webpage corresponding to the selected
other link in the background.
19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the control unit controls
displaying, when the first webpage and the second webpage are
closed, the third webpage.
Description
PRIORITY
[0001] This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C.
.sctn.119(a) of a Korean patent application filed on Nov. 8, 2010
in the Korean Intellectual Property Office and assigned Serial No.
10-2010-0110336, the entire disclosure of which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] 1. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates to a webpage display method
and apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to
a method and apparatus for displaying webpages connected to links
of the currently presented webpage.
[0004] 2. Description of the Related Art
[0005] With the rapid advance of information and semiconductor
technologies, there has been a phenomenal growth in the use and
popularity of mobile devices. Recent mobile devices are not just
basic devices for providing dedicated services but have become
multifunctional devices that support converged functions and
services. As an example, the mobile communication terminal
incorporates diverse supplementary functions including a TeleVision
(TV) function, (e.g., Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) and
Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB)), an audio playback function (e.g.
MPEG Audio Layer-3 (MP3)), a camera function, and a data
communication function as well as the basic voice communication and
messaging functions.
[0006] More particularly, the mobile internet function has become
an essential function of the recent mobile terminals. However, the
mobile terminal has a display screen limited in size such that it
is not able to display multiple webpages simultaneously. Due to the
display size limitation, when a link provided on a webpage
(hereinafter, referred to as first webpage) is selected, the mobile
terminal replaces the first webpage with a new one corresponding to
the selected link. Typically, in order to go back to the first
webpage on the newly opened webpage, the user uses the go-back
function.
[0007] Meanwhile, the conventional mobile terminal is provided with
a new window display function for presenting the webpage
corresponding to the link selection in a new window. In case that
the corresponding (i.e., target) webpage (hereinafter, referred to
as second webpage) is displayed in the new window, the second
webpage is displayed on the top of the screen. That is, the second
webpage is displayed overlapped on the first webpage such that only
the second webpage is displayed. Accordingly, in order for the user
to see the first webpage, it is necessary to close the second
webpage or use a window move function such that the first webpage
is placed on top of the second webpage. That is, the conventional
webpage display method of a mobile terminal requires the user to
enter the go-back command or close the currently opened webpage to
return to the previous webpage, e.g. for selecting another link,
resulting in cumbersome manipulation. Furthermore, such a
conventional webpage display method is an inconvenience because of
the loading delay that occurs whenever a switch is made between
webpages.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] Aspects of the present invention are to address at least the
above-mentioned problems and/or disadvantages and to provide at
least the advantages described below. Accordingly, an aspect of the
present invention is to provide a webpage display method and
apparatus of a mobile terminal that is capable of displaying a
newly requested webpage in the background while maintaining the
current webpage in the foreground.
[0009] Another aspect of the present invention is to provide a
webpage display method and apparatus of a mobile terminal that is
capable of facilitating display of multiple linked webpages and
reducing webpage loading delay.
[0010] In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a
webpage display method is provided. The method includes displaying
a first webpage having at least one link corresponding to another
webpage, detecting a touch to select one of the at least one link,
and loading a second webpage corresponding to the selected link in
the background.
[0011] In accordance with another aspect of the present invention,
a webpage display apparatus is provided. The apparatus includes a
radio frequency unit for transmitting a request for a first webpage
and for receiving the first webpage, a display unit for displaying
the first webpage having at least one link corresponding to another
webpage, and a control unit for controlling, when a touch to select
one of the at least one link is detected, the display unit to load
a second webpage corresponding to the selected link in the
background.
[0012] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the
invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the
following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with
the annexed drawings, discloses exemplary embodiments of the
invention.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0013] The above and other aspects, features, and advantages of
certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be more
apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with
the accompanying drawings, in which:
[0014] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention;
[0015] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a webpage display method
of a mobile terminal according to a first exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a webpage display method
of a mobile terminal according to a second exemplary embodiment of
the present invention;
[0017] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary screen images
corresponding to steps of the webpage display method according to
the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention; and
[0018] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary screen images
corresponding to steps of the webpage display method according to
the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0019] Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like
reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements,
features, and structures.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0020] The following description with reference to the accompanying
drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of
exemplary embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims and
their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist
in that understanding but these are to be regarded as merely
exemplary. Accordingly, those of ordinary skill in the art will
recognize that various changes and modifications of the embodiments
described herein can be made without departing from the scope and
spirit of the invention. In addition, descriptions of well-known
functions and constructions may be omitted for clarity and
conciseness.
[0021] The terms and words used in the following description and
claims are not limited to their bibliographical meanings, but, are
merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent
understanding of the invention. Accordingly, it should be apparent
to those skilled in the art that the following description of
exemplary embodiments of the present invention is provided for
illustration purpose only and not for the purpose of limiting the
invention as defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
[0022] It is to be understood that the singular forms "a," "an,"
and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly
dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component
surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.
[0023] The specification and drawings are to be regarded in an
illustrative rather than a restrictive sense in order to help
understand the present invention. It should be obvious to those
skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be
made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of
the invention as set forth in the appended claims.
[0024] Prior to the explanation of exemplary embodiments of the
present invention, a description is made of the configuration of
the mobile terminal. The present invention can be applied to any
type of device having a size-limited display screen and supporting
a mobile internet access function. For example, the present
invention can be applied to tablet a Personal Computer (PC), a
Portable Multimedia Player (PMP), a Smartphone, an electronic book
reader, and the like.
[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a
mobile terminal according to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention.
[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 includes a
control unit 110, a storage unit 120, a display unit 130, an input
unit 140, and a Radio Frequency (RF) unit 150.
[0027] The input unit 140 generates input signals of various
numeric and alphabetic information and related to the configuration
and execution of various functions of the mobile terminal 100 to
the control unit 110. For this purpose, the input unit 140 includes
a plurality of alphanumeric keys for input of alphanumeric
information and function keys for setting and executing the
functions of the mobile terminal 100. The function keys can include
navigation keys, side keys, and shortcut keys configured to execute
specific functions. For example, the input unit 140 can include
keys for making and ending a call and holding the call. The input
unit 140 can be implemented with at least one of a touchpad, a
touchscreen, a normal key array keypad, and a QWERTY keypad.
[0028] The RF unit 150 is responsible for establishing a radio
channel with a base station for voice and data communications. The
RF unit 150 can transmit and receive the voice and video signals to
and from a counterpart terminal over the communication channel
under the control of the control unit 110. The RF unit 150 can
include an RF transmitter (not shown) for up-converting and
amplifying the signal to be transmitted, an RF receiver (not shown)
for low noise amplifying and down-converting the signal received by
an antenna, and a duplexer (not shown) for isolating the
transmission and reception from each other. More particularly, in
an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the RF unit 150
can transmit a webpage access request signal and receive the
webpage data to be displayed on the display unit 130. For this
purpose, the RF unit 150 can transmit Uniform Resource Locator
(URL) information to the base station and receive the webpage data
corresponding to the URL information.
[0029] The display unit 130 displays menu screens of the mobile
terminal 100 and the information input by or to be provided to the
user. For example, the display unit 130 can display various video
data screens related to the operation of the mobile terminal 100,
e.g. a standby screen, a message composition screen, and a call
progress screen. More particularly in an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention, the display unit 130 can display a webpage
(hereinafter, referred to as first webpage) having at least one
link to another webpage. When a link is selected on the first
webpage, the display unit 130 can load the webpage (hereinafter,
referred to as second webpage) targeted by the link on background.
If another link is selected on the first webpage, the display unit
130 loads the webpage (hereinafter, referred to as third webpage)
targeted by the link in the background. According to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the display unit 130 loads the
webpages targeted by the links selected from the first webpage in
the background in series.
[0030] The display unit 130 can be configured such that, when a
touch is made on a specific link over a predetermined period, a
popup window prompting to select an option menu item is displayed.
The option menu item can include new window display, background
load, and bookmark option menu items. The popup window-based option
menu item presentation is described later in more detail. The
display unit 130 can be implemented with one of a Liquid Crystal
Display (LCD), Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs), and Active
Matrix OLEDs (AMOLEDs).
[0031] The storage unit 120 can store programs necessary for
operating the functions according to an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention and user data. For example, the storage unit 120
can store the programs for controlling the operations of the mobile
terminal 100, an Operating System (OS) for booting the mobile
terminal 100, and application programs necessary for playing
multimedia contents and executing other optional functions, e.g., a
camera function, an audio playback function, a still and motion
picture playback function, and a short range wireless communication
function. The storage unit 120 also can store the data, such as
audio data, generated as a result of the operation of the mobile
terminal 100. More particularly, in an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the storage unit 120 can store a program for
controlling such that at least one webpage (e.g., a second webpage
and a third webpage) targeted by the link selected from the first
webpage as the background pages is displayed in the background of
the first webpage. The storage unit 120 can include a Cache Memory
(not shown) for storing the at least one webpage temporarily.
[0032] The control unit 110 can control the overall operation of
the mobile terminal 100 and signaling among the internal function
blocks. More particularly, in an exemplary embodiment of the
present invention, the control unit 110 can control to display the
webpage (first webpage) to which at least one other webpage is
linked. As an example, the first webpage can be the main webpage of
a portal site.
[0033] If a webpage targeted by the link on the first webpage is
requested, i.e. the link is selected or touched on the screen, the
control unit 110 controls the display unit 130 to load the target
webpage in the background. That is, the control unit 110 can
control such that at least one linked webpage is loaded in the
background while maintaining the foreground display of the first
webpage.
[0034] According to another exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the control unit 110 can determine when a touch made on
a specific link of the first webpage is maintained over a
predetermined period. If the touch is not maintained over the
predetermined period, the control unit 110 controls such that the
linked webpage is displayed in place of the first webpage.
Otherwise, if the touch is maintained over the predetermined
period, the control unit 110 controls such that a popup window
prompting selection of an option menu item related to the linked
webpage is displayed. The option menu item can include a new window
display option, a background load option, and a linked page URL
bookmark option.
[0035] In case that the new window display option is selected in
the popup window, the control unit 110 can control such that the
linked webpage is displayed as the foreground page in place of the
first webpage. In case that the linked page URL bookmark option is
selected in the popup window, the control unit 110 can extract the
URL of the linked webpage and add the URL to the bookmark list. In
case that the background load option is selected, the control unit
110 controls such that the linked webpage is loaded in the
background.
[0036] Although the description is directed to the case where the
webpages (e.g. second and third webpages) linked to the first
webpage are loaded in the background in the form of new windows,
the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the
control unit 110 can store the linked webpages in the cache memory
rather than load them in the background such that, when the first
webpage is closed, the second webpage is displayed and, when the
second webpage is closed, the third webpage is displayed.
[0037] Although the description is directed to the case where the
webpages linked to the first webpage are loaded in the background,
the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when at
least one of the webpages registered with the bookmark list is
requested in the state where the first webpage is displayed, the
control unit 110 can control such that the webpages selected from
the bookmark list are loaded in the background.
[0038] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present
invention, the linked webpages are loaded in the background while
the first webpage is displayed in the foreground, it is not
necessary for the user to use the go-back function to select
another webpage linked on the first webpage. That is, the user can
select at least one link on the first webpage in series and see the
webpages of the at least one selected link in series.
[0039] In the webpage display method according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention, the webpages of the links
selected on the current webpage are loaded as background webpages
relative to the current webpage in a cumulative manner such that
the user can see the webpages one by one in selected order whenever
the foreground webpage is closed.
[0040] Although not shown in FIG. 1, the mobile terminal 100 can
further include at least one of a camera module for capturing still
and motion pictures, a broadcast receiver module for receiving
broadcast signal, a display audio playback module such as an MP3
module, a short range wireless communication module for short range
radio communication, an approaching sensor module for sensing
approach of an object, etc. Although it is impossible to enumerate
all the functional components that can be converged in the mobile
terminal, the mobile terminal 100 according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention can include at least one of the
aforementioned components and their equivalents selectively.
[0041] FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating a webpage display method
of a mobile terminal according to a first exemplary embodiment of
the present invention.
[0042] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the control unit 110 determines
that the mobile terminal 100 is in idle state in step 201. In the
idle state, the control unit 110 is monitoring to detect a user
input and, if a user input is detected, determines whether the user
input is a webpage access request in step 203. The webpage access
request can be generated by an internet access key input made by
means of the input unit 140 or a touch input made on an internet
access menu item displayed on the touchscreen.
[0043] If the user input is not the webpage access request, the
control unit 110 takes an action corresponding to the user input in
step 205. For example, the control unit 110 can maintain the idle
state or execute an audio playback function, a photographing
function, a short range wireless communication function, and the
like. If the user input is the webpage access request, the control
unit 110 controls such that the webpage is downloaded and displayed
on the display unit 130 in step 207. In order to display the
webpage, the control unit 110 retrieves the URL information of the
requested webpage, transmits the URL information to the base
station by means of the RF unit 150, receives the data of the
webpage from the base station by means of the RF unit 150, and
decodes the data to display the corresponding webpage (hereinafter,
referred to as first webpage) by means of the display unit 130. The
first webpage can include at least one link to another webpage. As
an example, the first webpage can be the main webpage of a portal
site.
[0044] While the first webpage is displayed, the control unit 110
is monitoring to detect a link selection command made on one of the
at least one link of the first webpage in step 209. The control
unit 110 continues monitoring until the link selection command is
detected. If the link selection command is detected, the control
unit 110 controls such that the webpage connected to the link on
which the link selection command is made is loaded in the
background in step 211. In more detail, when a touch is made to a
first link on the first webpage, the control unit 110 retrieves the
URL of the webpage (hereinafter, referred to as second webpage)
connected to the first link, receives the second webpage, and loads
the second webpage in the background. Afterward, when a second link
is selected on the first webpage, the control unit 110 retrieves
the URL of the webpage (hereinafter, referred to as third webpage)
connected to the second link, receives the third webpage, and loads
the third webpage in the background. Since the webpages selected by
the user are accumulated as the background webpages relative to the
first webpage, the user can select a plurality of links of the
first webpage in series. Unlike the proposed webpage display
method, the conventional webpage display method displays the
webpage connected to the link selected from the first webpage in
the foreground, such that there is a need of returning to the first
webpage to select another link on the first webpage. Accordingly,
the webpage display method according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention facilitates selecting a plurality of webpages
linked to the first webpage, resulting in improvement of user
convenience and reductions of multiple link selection time.
[0045] In case that a plurality of links are selected, when a
webpage is displayed in the foreground, the other webpage is loaded
in the background such that, when the foreground webpage is closed,
the webpage loaded in the background is displayed as a new
foreground webpage immediately. This gives an effect that the
loading time of a webpage is saved in view of the user.
[0046] FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a webpage display method
of a mobile terminal according to a second exemplary embodiment of
the present invention.
[0047] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the control unit 110 determines
that the mobile terminal 100 is in an idle state in step 301. In
the idle state, the control unit is monitoring to detect a user
input and, if a user input is detected, determines whether the user
input is a webpage access request in step 303. The webpage access
request can be generated by an internet access key input made by
means of the input unit 140 or a touch input made on an internet
access menu item displayed on the touchscreen.
[0048] If the user input is not the webpage access request, the
control unit 110 takes an action corresponding to the user input in
step 305. For example, the control unit 110 can maintain the idle
state or execute an audio playback function, a photographing
function, a short range wireless communication function, and the
like. If the user input is the webpage access request, the control
unit 110 controls such that the webpage is downloaded and displayed
on the display unit 130 in step 307. In order to display the
webpage, the control unit 110 retrieves the URL information of the
requested webpage, transmits the URL information to the base
station by means of the RF unit 150, receives the data of the
webpage from the base station by means of the RF unit 150, and
decodes the data to display the corresponding webpage (hereinafter,
referred to as first webpage) by means of the display unit 130. The
first webpage can include at least one link to another webpage. As
an example, the first webpage can be the main webpage of a portal
site.
[0049] While the first webpage is displayed, the control unit 110
is monitoring to detect a touch made to a specific link on the
first webpage in step 309. The control unit 110 continues
monitoring until a touch is detected on the first webpage. If a
touch is detected on a specific link of the first webpage, the
control unit 110 determines whether the touch is maintained over a
predetermined time period in step 311. That is, the control unit
110 determines whether the time of the touch made to the link is
equal to or longer than the predetermined time period. If the touch
is not maintained over the predetermined time period, the control
unit 110 replaces the current webpage (hereinafter, referred to as
first webpage) with the webpage connected to the selected link
(hereinafter, referred to as second webpage) on the screen in step
323. After displaying the second webpage, the control unit 110
returns to step 309. This means that the control unit 110 is
monitoring to detect another touch made to a specific link on the
second webpage.
[0050] If the touch is maintained over the predetermined time
period, the control unit 110 controls to display a popup window
prompting to select an option menu item related to the link in step
313. The option menu item can include one or more of a `new window
display` item for displaying the linked webpage in a new window, a
`background load` item for displaying the linked webpage as a
background webpage to the currently displayed webpage, a `bookmark
add` item for registering the linked webpage with the bookmark
list, and the like.
[0051] In the state that the popup window is presented, the control
unit 110 is monitoring to detect a user input to select an option
menu item and, if a user input is detected, determines whether the
user input is to select the background load item in step 315. If
the user input is not to select the background load item, the
control unit 110 takes an action corresponding to the user input in
step 317. For example, if the user input is to select the new
window display item, the control unit 110 controls such that the
linked webpage (second webpage) is displayed in the foreground. If
the user input is to select the bookmark add item, the control unit
110 retrieves the URL information of the linked webpage and adds
the URL to the bookmark list.
[0052] Otherwise, if the user input is to select the background
load item at step 315, the control unit 110 controls such that the
second webpage connected to the selected link is loaded in the
background in step 319.
[0053] The control unit 110 monitors to detect a touch made to a
specific link on the first webpage in step 321. If a touch is
detected on a specific link of the first page, the control unit 110
repeats the steps as described above. In this manner, the mobile
terminal 100 can process a plurality of webpages linked to the
first webpage as the background webpages relative to the first
webpage as the foreground webpage. The webpage display method
according to the second exemplary embodiment of the present
invention can provide the similar effect as in the first exemplary
embodiment. In the second exemplary embodiment, the webpage display
method of the present invention is provided along with the
conventional webpage display method such that the user can select
one of the webpage display modes.
[0054] Although the description is directed to the case where
webpages (e.g. second and third webpages) linked to the first
webpage are loaded in the background in the form of new windows,
the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the
control unit 110 can control such that the linked webpage requested
with background load option is stored in a cache memory and
displayed immediately when the first webpage is closed. For this
purpose, it is preferred that the control unit 110 or the storage
unit 120 includes a cache memory for storing the data of the
webpages connected to the links selected on the currently displayed
webpage temporarily.
[0055] FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating exemplary screen images
corresponding to steps of the webpage display method according to
the first exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0056] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the display unit 130 can display
the first webpage as shown in the screen image 410 in response to a
user request. In the state where the first webpage is displayed as
shown in the screen image 410, if the first link 411 is selected,
the control unit 110 can display the second webpage connected to
the first link 411 in the background. At this time, since the
second webpage is processed as the background webpage, the display
unit 130 can continue displaying the first webpage in the
foreground as shown in the screen image 420. This means that,
although only the first webpage is exposed to the user on the
screen, the first and second webpages are loaded on the display
unit 130 as denoted by reference number 20.
[0057] In the state where the first and second webpages are loaded
as shown in the screen image 420, if a second link 412 is selected
on the first webpage, the control unit 110 can load the third
webpage connected to the second link 412 in the background. At this
time, since the third webpage is processed as the background
webpage relative to the second webpage, the display unit 130 can
continue displaying the first webpage in the foreground as shown in
the screen image 430. This means that, although only the first
webpage is exposed to the user on the screen, the first to third
webpages are loaded on the display unit 130 as denoted by reference
number 30.
[0058] In the state where the first to third webpages are loaded as
shown in the screen image 430, if the first webpage is closed by
the user, the display unit 130 displays the second webpage in the
foreground immediately as shown in the screen image 440. This means
that the second webpage is displayed in the foreground along with
the third webpage loaded in the background as denoted by reference
number 40.
[0059] In the state where the second webpage is displayed in the
foreground as shown in the screen image 440, if the second webpage
is closed by the user, the display unit 130 displays the third
webpage as the foreground webpage immediately as shown in the
screen image 450. This means that the third webpage is displayed as
the foreground webpage without any webpage loaded in the background
as denoted by reference number 50. Although not depicted in FIG. 4,
if a go-back function or a cancel function is executed in the state
where the second webpage or the third webpage is displayed, the
control unit 110 can control the display unit 130 such that the
currently displayed webpage is replaced by the previous webpage. In
case that a link is selected on the second or third webpage, the
control unit 110 can control such that the webpage connected to the
link selected on the second or third webpage is loaded at the
bottom background.
[0060] The webpage display method according to an exemplary
embodiment of the present invention is capable of selecting and
loading a plurality webpages linked on one webpage in series,
resulting in improvement of user convenience. This is because the
webpage display method of the present invention negates the step of
returning to the previous page for selecting another link. Also,
the webpage display method according to an exemplary embodiment of
the present invention is capable of loading the webpages connected
to the links selected on the current webpage in a cumulative manner
such that whenever the foreground webpage (e.g. second webpage) is
closed, the background webpage (e.g. third webpage) accumulated
right before is displayed immediately. This gives an effect that
the loading time of a webpage is saved in view of the user.
[0061] It is noted that the objects as denoted by reference numbers
10 to 50 are depicted to help understand the subject matter of the
present invention but not actually displayed on the screen of the
display unit 130.
[0062] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating exemplary screen images
corresponding to steps of the webpage display method according to
the second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.
[0063] Referring to FIGS. 1 and 5, the display unit 130 can display
the first webpage as shown in the screen image 510 in response to a
user request. The first webpage can be a portal site including a
plurality of links. Display of the first webpage is denoted by
reference number 11. In the state where the first webpage is
displayed as shown in the screen image 510, if a touch is made to
the third link 511 on the screen over a predetermined period, the
display unit 130 displays a popup window 512 prompting the user to
select an option menu item listed therein under the control of the
control unit 110. As denoted by reference number 12, only the first
webpage is displayed at this time. If the user selects the
background load option menu item in the popup window as shown in
the screen image 520, the display unit 130 can display the webpage
connected to the third link in the background as shown in the
screen image 530. This means that the second webpage connected to
the third link is loaded in the background while the first webpage
is displayed in the foreground of the display unit 130, as denoted
by reference number 13.
[0064] In the state where the second webpage is loaded in the
background as shown in the screen image 530, if the first webpage
is closed in response to the user request, the second webpage is
displayed on the screen of the display unit 130 immediately as
shown in the screen image 540. This is denoted by reference number
14. Although not depicted in FIG. 5, if a go-back function or a
cancel function is executed in the state where the second webpage
is displayed, the control unit 110 can control the display unit 130
such that the second webpage is replaced by the first webpage.
[0065] It is noted that the objects as denoted by reference numbers
11 to 14 are depicted to help understand the subject matter of the
present invention but not actually displayed on the screen of the
display unit 130.
[0066] Although the description is directed to the case where the
at least one webpage linked to the first webpage is loaded in the
background in the exemplary embodiments of FIGS. 4 and 5, the
present invention is not limited thereto. For example, when at
least one of the webpages registered with the bookmark list is
requested in the state where the first webpage is displayed, the
control unit 110 can control such that the webpages selected from
the bookmark list are loaded in the background
[0067] As described above, the webpage display method and apparatus
according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention is
capable of loading the webpages connected to the links selected on
current webpage in the background in a cumulative manner such that
the user can see the webpages in series without a loading delay.
Also, the webpage display method and apparatus according to
exemplary embodiments of the present invention negates the step of
returning to the previous webpage for selecting another link,
resulting in improvement of user convenience.
[0068] While the invention has been shown and described with
reference to certain exemplary embodiments thereof, it will be
understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form
and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit
and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and
their equivalents.
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